According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Jaylen Brown ended the postseason with a partially torn meniscus. "He will be evaluated this week to determine if surgery is needed, sources said," she wrote. Brown had reportedly had a bone bruise and posterior right knee impingement and received injections prior to the start of the playoffs.
The Celtics wrapped up their season with a second-round exit at the hands of the New York Knicks, capped off by a disastrous Game 6 loss that saw them get blown out at Madison Square Garden. Now, the Celtics will have to deal with some significant offseason questions.
And Brown's injury could play a part in things.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum injuries could define Celtics
Brown now joins Jayson Tatum on the Celtics' injury report, as the latter recently had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles. He suffered the injury late in Game 4 against the Knicks, falling down in a heap and having to be helped off the floor.
Tatum's surgery was successful but he will likely miss most of next season, if not all of it, because of the issue. And now, if Brown also has to have surgery, he could also be dealing with a recovery process heading into next year.
Boston already has a bunch of looming roster-construction questions, and injuries to its two top stars could impact the choices they end up making.
It's unclear whether or not Brown will even have surgery, let alone miss any time next season, but if that does become the case, the Celtics would have to figure things out without both of their two franchise players.
Why could injuries force Celtics trades?
The Celtics were already going to be forced into some uncomfortable decisions this summer with the CBA and their status as an impending third-year second-apron team. In order to get under the second apron, they will almost certainly have to trade at least one of their top five stars: Tatum, Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, or Kristaps Porzingis.
Losing Tatum already impacts those decisions, as the Celtics' ability to compete for a championship next season will be largely impacted by his absence. But if Brown were to miss time or have this injury impact his play, too, then selling off assets could become an even harder decision to avoid.
If they can't compete at the highest level because their two stars are going to miss time, then why would the Celtics wait to sell players in hopes of avoiding serious financial penalties?